The present invention relates to photonics chips and, more specifically, to waveguide-to-waveguide couplers, systems that include waveguide-to-waveguide couplers, and methods of fabricating waveguide-to-waveguide couplers.
Photonic chips, which integrate optical components and electronic components into a single platform, are capable of being used in many applications and many systems including, but not limited to, data communication systems and data computation systems. The electronic components may include, for example, field-effect transistors, and the optical components may include, for example, waveguides. Layout area, cost, and operational overhead, among other factors, may be reduced by including both types of components on a single photonics chip. On-chip communication and sensing may rely on transferring electromagnetic radiation through waveguides in the mid-infrared wavelength range of three (3) microns (μm) to eight (8) μm and, in certain instances, at wavelengths that are less than 3 μm, such as one (1) μm.
Improved waveguide-to-waveguide couplers, systems that include waveguide-to-waveguide couplers, and methods of fabricating waveguide-to-waveguide couplers are needed.